Digital Transformation Strategies and Sustainable Entrepreneurial Performance of Hotels in Rivers State

Dr. Ngozi A. Ogbazi; Dr. Adindu Amadi

doi:10.31149/ijefsd.v8i4.5855

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Dr. Ngozi A. Ogbazi
ngogbazi@gmail.com
Department of Entrepreneurship, Ignatius Ajuru University of Education, Rumuolumeni, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria
Dr. Adindu Amadi Department of Entrepreneurship, Ignatius Ajuru University of Education, Rumuolumeni, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria

Vol. 8 No. 4 (2026): International Journal on Economics, Finance and Sustainable Development (IJEFSD)

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October 29, 2026

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This study examined the relationship between digital transformation strategies and sustainable entrepreneurial performance of hotels in Rivers State, Nigeria. As competitive pressure, evolving guest expectations and resource constraints increasingly confront hotel entrepreneurs, digital transformation is widely promoted as a pathway through which hotels may simultaneously improve competitiveness and pursue economically, socially and environmentally sustainable business performance. However, the extent to which specific digital transformation strategies are empirically associated with sustainable entrepreneurial performance among hotels in Rivers State had not been sufficiently established. Anchored on the Dynamic Capabilities Theory and complemented by the Triple Bottom Line concept, the study pursued three specific objectives: to examine the relationship between digital marketing strategy and sustainable entrepreneurial performance of hotels in Rivers State; to determine the relationship between digital operations and process automation strategy and sustainable entrepreneurial performance of hotels in Rivers State; and to assess the relationship between digital business model innovation strategy and sustainable entrepreneurial performance of hotels in Rivers State. The study adopted a descriptive correlational survey research design. The population comprised owners and senior managers of registered hotels operating within Port Harcourt metropolis, Rivers State, numbering fifty-two. Using the Taro Yamane formula, a sample size of forty-six was determined, of which forty-two properly completed questionnaires were retrieved and used for analysis, representing a 91.3 per cent response rate. A structured, validated five-point Likert-scale questionnaire, found reliable with an overall Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.84, was used for data collection. The three hypotheses formulated for the study were tested using the Spearman rank-order correlation coefficient at the 0.05 level of significance, with results presented in Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS)-style correlation output tables. Findings revealed a statistically significant positive relationship between digital marketing strategy and sustainable entrepreneurial performance (rho = 0.499, p = 0.001); a statistically significant, strong, positive relationship between digital operations and process automation strategy and sustainable entrepreneurial performance (rho = 0.734, p < 0.001); and a statistically significant positive relationship between digital business model innovation strategy and sustainable entrepreneurial performance (rho = 0.382, p = 0.013). The study concluded that digital transformation strategies significantly enhance the sustainable entrepreneurial performance of hotels in Rivers State, with digital operations and process automation strategy exerting the strongest influence, followed by digital marketing strategy and digital business model innovation strategy. It was recommended, among others, that hotel entrepreneurs should prioritise investment in digital operations and process automation technologies, strengthen digital marketing capabilities to reach wider and more sustainability-conscious markets, and progressively explore digitally enabled business model innovation as a longer-term pathway to sustainable entrepreneurial growth.

Dr. Ngozi A. Ogbazi, & Dr. Adindu Amadi. (2026). Digital Transformation Strategies and Sustainable Entrepreneurial Performance of Hotels in Rivers State. International Journal on Economics, Finance and Sustainable Development, 8(4), 58–75. https://doi.org/10.31149/ijefsd.v8i4.5855

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